What to expect for wildfire season

Wildfires are popping up across the state, and the terrain makes fighting those fires especially difficult in certain spots.

Multiple fires popped up in Snohomish County over the weekend, including the Dearinger Fire in Darrington which has become a real challenge for firefighters to reach.

The fire is burning on steep terrain, prompting the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to bring in helicopters to try and get the upper hand.

According to DNR, the fire is just under 50 acres and 0% contained.

But it’s not the only fire DNR is worried about.

“Given the fuels that are involved and given the location and the terrain, and again, wind is always a challenge when fighting a wildland fire, that continues to present a challenge to crews not only on this fire, but several of the other large fires burning in the state,” said Ryan Rodruck with the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

According to Rodruck, nine fires are burning statewide, but only three are considered large.

The Pioneer Fire in Lake Chelan has burned over 4,500 acres, in Yakima County, the Slide Ranch Fire has burned over 3,000 acres, and in Okanogan County the Gold Creek Fire has burned 300 acres. Six other small fires are burning across Washington at less than 100 acres each.

“As the season progresses, we’ll be keeping an eye on the weather and of course, the concern is always how fast are those fuels going to dry out, what our precipitation levels going to look like, and what those wind conditions are going to be,” said DNR’s Ryan Rodruck.

With changes coming in the forecast later this week, there is one thing that firefighters are keeping a close eye on.

“Several of the large fires we have on the landscape were primarily wind-driven fires, so our firefighters are very cautious, and our meteorologists are very cautious, about what those winds are going to do and how they’re going to affect fire behaviors,” said Rodruck.

With the Fourth of July holiday next week, the Department of Natural Resources took the opportunity to remind folks that fireworks are banned on all state-owned lands that are protected by DNR. Where fireworks are allowed, people should use extra caution and check for any local burn bans with their county fire marshal.